Chapter 71

Two small figures swiftly darted through the valley. Apart from the slightly larger herds of beasts that needed to be avoided, their journey was almost unimpeded.

"This medicine really works!"

Chuxue widened her eyes, almost in disbelief, as she watched the spirit beasts scrambling to avoid them. They all looked terrified, as if the two of them were the truly fearsome predators.

What was even more surprising was Zongshou's familiarity with the area. He navigated the path with ease, hardly pausing at all.

The valley was vast, and one only needed to head straight in the right direction. However, Zongshou's knowledge of the various beasts' characteristics and temperaments was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Chuxue's doubts grew, and she finally couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, have you been to this Blood Valley before?"

Zongshou didn't answer but gave a mysterious smile. In the Divine Emperor game, this was one of the most famous intermediate areas for beginners, and he had naturally been there before. He had fought countless battles with the fierce beasts here, and it was also where his martial path began.

However, the medicine was not from the game but a real-world invention. Every year, some hunters or those interested in studying spirit beasts would apply this medicine and enter the Blood Valley.

The library where Zongshou had worked in his previous life also possessed the formula for this medicine.

Inside the Blood Valley, the lingering soul intent of an ancient powerful being indeed prevented innate-level experts from entering. However, the transformation of the spirit beasts into bloodthirsty and frenzied creatures was not due to this but influenced by another factor. Any spirit beast infected by this factor was extremely sensitive and repelled by the smell of the medicine on their bodies.

Seeing that Zongshou ignored her, Chuxue pouted in anger and followed behind him, her mood sullen. However, her eyes were even more vigilant, fearing that some spirit beast might suddenly attack and harm Zongshou.

The medicine was effective, but it also evaporated quickly. Every two hours, they had to reapply it all over their bodies.

Zongshou didn't seem to mind, but he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Chuxue, who blushed each time.

The Blood Valley was about twenty miles wide but stretched long. After half a day, they had walked about a hundred miles and saw the figures of third-stage spirit beasts ahead. Zongshou's figure suddenly stopped.

The higher the stage of the spirit beast, the more intelligent it became. Even if infected by the substance, they could勉强 maintain their sense of self. Naturally, the medicine on their bodies had less effect.

These third-stage spirit beasts were far from reaching that level. What truly worried him were the fifth-stage spirit beasts, which could rival innate-level human experts.

Chuxue also knew the danger here. She touched her forehead and her eyes glowed with divine light.

"Protect me!"

A wisp of light immediately condensed in front of them. A ten-foot-long body emitted a wave of cold energy. Its claws and teeth were sharp, and its tiger eyes flashed with ferocity.

It was the Cold Hell Tiger that Zongshou had helped subdue the day before they left the city. Although it was only a third-stage soul beast, the aura of a fifth-stage demon beast still lingered, making nearby spirit beasts more wary.

Perhaps due to their shared tiger lineage, a mysterious connection seemed to form between the human and the beast. Not only did Chuxue's aura grow stronger, but the Cold Hell Tiger's might approached that of a fourth-stage beast.

"This Cold Hell Tiger and Chuxue's bloodline indeed complement each other. Unfortunately, Xue'er's strength is still too low. If her soul power could reach the Out-of-Body stage and she could use the power of talismans, she could strengthen this Cold Hell Tiger to the fourth stage—"

After a glance, Zongshou收回了目光. He began to carefully choose a path, continuing deeper into the valley.

The main task was to identify scents and observe the distribution of the beasts. Wherever high-stage demon beasts were present, the surrounding spirit beasts would stay far away, making the area very open and easy to recognize.

This was the experience he had learned in his previous life.

However, after walking for just a few miles, he heard voices ahead. Zongshou looked from a distance and saw a group of people battling the spirit beasts.

There were only about seven or eight of them, but each was highly skilled.

Among them, two were using talismans, clearly Spirit Nurturing Realm spirit masters. Despite facing a group of over forty second-stage Fang Wolves, they handled the situation with ease.

Zongshou raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit puzzled. Although the Blood Valley was dangerous, it was not entirely uninhabited. Some spirit beasts and herbs were unique to this place. However, few people chose to enter during this season.

Shaking his head, Zongshou decided to ignore them and prepared to bypass the area using the Wind Traveling Spirit Bone.

However, just as they were passing by, a voice called out, "Is that Zongshou, my junior brother?"

The voice was barely audible amidst the roars and battles, but Zongshou was extremely familiar with and sensitive to this voice. His body involuntarily froze.

Turning his head in surprise, he saw a woman looking at him from a distance. She smiled brightly, her expression filled with joy as she waved.

Zongshou's brows furrowed, and memories of this woman flooded his mind.

The next moment, he felt even more headache. He remembered that her name was Gong Xinran, a senior at Linyi Academy. She was nothing extraordinary, with a plain background and average looks. However, to the 'Zongshou' who had disappeared, she was unforgettable.

She was the only one who consistently cared for him during his first year in Linyi. She was one of the spiritual pillars of the 'Zongshou' at Linyi Academy.

It was because of her leaving to complete her studies that the heartbroken 'Zongshou' fell into despair and remained depressed for two years.

Speaking of which, the vanished 'Zongshou' was quite fickle. In just one year at Linyi Academy, he had fallen in love with two girls.

He intended to ignore her and leave, but his feet felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.

As Zongshou was torn, the group of martial artists ahead had already slaughtered most of the Fang Wolves. Gong Xinran left the group, using a talisman to summon a gentle breeze and flew over.

Confirming it was Zongshou, her expression became even more joyful. "Is it really you? Why would you come to this Blood Valley, Junior Brother?"

Suddenly, she seemed to remember that Zongshou couldn't practice martial arts and hadn't opened his soul sea. She looked Zongshou up and down, her brows furrowing. Only when she saw Chuxue and the near-fourth-stage soul beast, the Cold Hell Tiger, did her expression relax slightly. But she still frowned, "How dangerous is this Blood Valley? As the Young Master of Qiantian Mountain, you are of noble status. Why take such a risk?"

Zongshou inwardly smiled bitterly, wondering what was wrong with him these days. Yesterday, he had encountered his fiancée, and today, he met the object of his former affection.

He had seen countless beauties in his past and present lives. Yet, Gong Xinran's appearance, which could only be described as pretty, made his heart race uncontrollably. His throat felt dry, and he could hardly speak.

Suddenly, he remembered her gentle and kind demeanor at Linyi Academy. Then, he was moved by the concern in her words, feeling a mix of emotions.

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